ROYAL HUISMAN GLISS 32 m GT

After the sea tests in July 2006, Gliss was delivered to her Swiss
owner who, envisaging a suitable yacht for the cruises he wanted
to make and is now experiencing, had asked the famous Dutch yard
for a GT vessel, and what's more a sailboat.

The parallel may seem
at the least a distortion of meanings, but actually the owner
employed these terms with the designers: he was after a performing
vessel that could satisfactorily tackle ocean racing and at the
same time be comfortable and welcoming for the most demanding
cruises. In fact this is another example of a cruise/race yacht,
boats that make a strongpoint of their multifaceted use while
maintaining high standards of comfort and performance. This of
course is all possible today thanks to the advent of materials and
work processes by which we can create vessels of limited weight
that can face very high stress levels. A great number of shipyards
have got into this type of production, just as many designers seek
to achieve maximum comfort and performance from hulls that can be
created and fitted out today with technological materials of high
mechanical efficiency but of reduced weight. In the case of Gliss
the naval architect was Philip Briand, aided with the powerful rig
by the Rigged Performance Sailing Sloop company, experts in the
racing sector. Before giving a description of the yacht we'd like
to tell readers about our sensations on the occasion of a sail
aboard Gliss. After the tuning that follows the first sea tests of
such yachts, we were invited to be Royal Huisman's guests for a
whole day's sailing, first with little wind and later with a fresh
breeze. We also had the pleasure of steering her personally,
appreciating the sensitivity of the helm which responded as if she
were a smaller craft. Moreover, we were impressed by the vessel's
rapid pickup speed both with little wind and then with a fresh
breeze. The powerful sail plan makes the boat react immediately
and every trimming operation results in rapid motion. The deck is
organized in such a way that a skeleton crew can handle all the
running rigging, with the aid of electric winches and controls
effected directly from the two wheelhouses in the cockpit.
Indubitably Gliss is a boat designed by a racing lover for someone
who intends to race her. Observing this yacht there are many
technical choices that express her sporty nature. For example, if
we analyse the underwater appendages we find technical solutions
like a keel with a trim tab, which is to say the possibility of
modifying the outgoing flow profiles generated by the appendage.
The same system is used on America's Cup yachts and offers the
possibility of maximum exploitation of the hull's potential,
especially when close hauled, so you can sail in optimal trim. But
let's get down to a description of this yacht which, like every
Royal Huisman creation, is a one-off piece wholly built in every
detail within the Dutch yard. It is however true in this case that
the owner asked for Lewmar deck gear rather than the usual Royal
Huisman Rondal, since he'd been satisfied with Lewmar on his
previous yacht. At first glance the colour of the hull arouses
curiosity: turquoise, certainly original for a yacht of this size.
We don't know why this choice was made but the effect even from a
distance has a certain impact. As we said earlier, Gliss was
created with the aim of being a performer, and we found out that
this objective has been amply achieved, but also with the aim of
being an ideal long range cruiser both in the Mediterranean and on
the ocean. This is why the deck plan is clean and rich in devices
that are evidently designed for someone who really lives a racing
life at sea: retractable cleats, flush skylights, embedded
sundecks; in a word, a real flush deck when under conditions of
use. As for the interiors, designer Pieter Beeldsnijder, in
accordance with the owner's taste, has created practical spaces
characterised by soft lines. The predominant wood selected is
whitened oak, with a great number of custom made accessories in
nickel and black granite, and with furnishings in red and bright
yellow. There are four cabins, one of which is the owner's suite
aft, running the whole width of the beam, with living room,
dressing room and spacious bathroom. Then there is a cabin with
double bed and private bathroom, and a twin bed cabin, also with
private bathroom. Slightly forward of the amidships area the
technical room, which stretches the whole width of the beam,
houses all the onboard systems, easily inspected thanks to the
ample space available. Farther forward is the fourth guest cabin,
with single bed, and the crew's quarters including a dinette with
table and sofa, a mess room facing the galley, a double and a
single cabin and two bathrooms. It should be pointed out that the
lower deck also has a service bathroom, an unusual choice on a
sailboat of this size but certainly handy for the guests who can
access it by a stairway directly from the saloon. The spacious
saloon in the deckhouse has two facing sofas and tables, forward
of which is the command bridge on the starboard side, with no
classic steering gear since everything is handled by
electromechanical aids, and with a chart table and double seating.
The electrically controlled windows of the superstructure is an
interesting solution. They retract into the hull, allowing a very
pleasant circulation of air when at anchor in the sun, and supply
an alternative to the available air conditioning. Aft of the
structure just described there are two spacious sundecks,
separated in the middle by a gangway between the saloon and the
cockpit, the latter equipped with twin command stations complete
with all the instruments for controlling both mechanical apparatus
and the powerful sail plan. Another element noteworthy for its
structure is the bathing platform which is obtained by overturning
the transom, thus leaving plenty manoeuvring space for the tender
and the various sea toys such as jet skis, windsurfing boards etc.
The bathing platform is in teak faced carbon, making it pleasant
to walk on, and is handled by an electric control on deck. Of
course among the accessories purpose-built for Gliss - practically
all the elements on board except electronics and engine - there
are various details created by Rondal, though as we said the spars
are by Marten Spars, with carbon mast and boom, and the winches by
Lewmar. But the blocks are the first of Rondal's "Air" series,
the latest generation of deck accessories from this company owned
by Royal Huisman. Rondal also supplied numerous deck accessories
such as bitts, fairleads and other elements specially designed for Gliss.

This web page is a service provided by Nautica On Line ® magazine, registered on 19/12/1995 at no. 620 and on 7/07/2003 at no. 302 in the Court of Rome's Press Register.
All rights reserved. Any reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited without publisher's written permission. Credits